CEO, Cottonwood
| 2017 Q4 | by Sharon Spratt, CEO, Cottonwood photo by Steven Hertzog
Sharon Spratt
What is your organization’s most important commodity or service?
The mission of Cottonwood is – “helping people with disabilities shape their own future.” To that end, we provide life-long services and supports to people (primarily adults) with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Douglas and Jefferson counties enabling them to live, work and play in the community. We offer an array of services and supports to achieve this so that individuals have options and choices in their lives.
What is your organization’s most important priority?
Cottonwood’s most important priority is to provide quality services for the individuals who access our services.
What has been some of the most important aspects of your success and Cottonwood’s success?
Personally, I would say some of the most important aspects include being fortunate to have had a good childhood with strong successful, hardworking parents, making good life choices along the way including graduating from college, marrying my husband, Dennis, and enjoying a wonderful family. Professionally, I think some of my success comes from having a quest for excellence in my personal and professional life, surrounding myself with successful people and seeking their counsel, (mentors), not being afraid to hire people who have talents beyond my own and a commitment to being a life-long learner. Overall, I am a positive and happy person and that has helped me to get through difficult times.
There are many aspects of Cottonwood that have contributed to the success of the organization over the years. Since our early beginnings in 1972, Cottonwood has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and providing opportunities for the individuals we serve to work and be productive has been a constant. At the heart of that spirit has been our Work Center (Cottonwood Industries) that provides turn-key fulfillment work for large and small companies in the region as well as nationally. We also have two federal contracts through the Department of Defense. We manufacture a Cargo-tie down strap and a General-Purpose Strap. Both are used by all branches of the military to transport goods that need to be secured for transit. Recently, we had a celebration for the 7 millionth strap produced. JobLink is another division of Cottonwood that works collaboratively with businesses in the area to place individuals in jobs. Our other services, including Residential, Life Enrichment and Case Management are excellent as well, providing an array of options for individuals depending upon their needs and preferences. Cottonwood has had strong leadership within the organization and by that I mean not only the CEO position but also with our Management Team. We have many key staff that have long tenure with the organization. This is essential to providing consistent quality services. We have both a strong corporate Board of Trustees for Cottonwood, Inc. as well as a strong Foundation Board of Trustees. We are very appreciative of the leadership and support from our Board Members.
How many people does Cottonwood employ? Serve, interact with on a daily basis, and are responsible to?
Cottonwood has approximately 225 staff and provides services for over 600 individuals annually. The majority of our services are long-term services so we know the individuals we serve quite well.
How do you and our organization make a positive impact on the Lawrence community?
Many ways – Helping the individuals we serve reach their full potential and live a full life in the community, gives the Lawrence community a positive view of these individuals and the many contributions they add to the overall fabric of society.
Cottonwood is a not-for profit corporation, but we are also a viable mission-based business. When I first became CEO at Cottonwood, I read one of Peter Brinckerhoff’s books entitled “Mission-Based Management.” Two key elements from his book are 1.) Nonprofits are businesses and 2.) Nonprofit doesn’t mean No profit. So, my mantra has always been – No Money – No Mission. We are not able to fulfill our mission if we do not have the money to do so. We have to be a viable business to carry out our mission. Having several lines of business has helped Cottonwood achieve this over the years. Cottonwood also has a strong economic impact on the community when you consider our overall budget and the number of people we employ.
Personally, I feel I have made a positive impact on the community by being an active member of the community, serving in leadership positions in many organizations locally, statewide and nationally. A few include the Lawrence Chamber, Leadership Lawrence, Leadership Kansas, Rotary, and several nonprofit organizations. A highlight in my career was receiving the Junior Achievement 2016 Lawrence Business Hall of Fame Laureate award.
What do you see as your personal responsibility and your organization’s responsibility to the community? ?
Similar to my previous answer, I believe in a saying that – to whom much is given, much is expected. I feel very blessed to be living the wonderful life I am and to have had the many successful experiences that I have had. For me, one of my responsibilities is and will continue to be to give back to the community of Lawrence and support organizations who work to enhance the community.
What would you change about doing business (or working with businesses) in Lawrence?
Lawrence has been and continues to be very supportive of all aspects of Cottonwood, whether it is individuals who volunteer to serve on our boards, local businesses that provide work opportunities through our Work Center, businesses who hire individuals, friendly neighborhoods who welcome individuals we support as their neighbor and the overall citizenry who are accepting and welcoming to the individuals we support. I am grateful for all of the support provided to Cottonwood by the community.
Why did you become involved (what inspired you – is there a specific thing, person or incident?) ?
I became interested in this field when I attended Kansas State University. I was majoring in education and had a professor that taught special education. Special education was a new focus for education in the late 1960s and when I took one of his courses, I took an interest. This particular professor took me under his wing, served as a strong mentor and afforded me to have many successful experiences throughout my college years. I have focused on this area in my career and it has led me to where I am today. I came to Cottonwood in 1989 and was named CEO in 1994.
What is the biggest challenge you feel Cottonwood faces?
One of the biggest challenges for Cottonwood and our industry in general is to be able to recruit and retain quality direct support staff. Direct support professionals are the ones who work directly with the individuals we support. They are vital to the continued success of Cottonwood and organizations like ours across the country. Another challenge is the increased and ever changing governmental regulations (state and federal) that complicate what we do and increase the cost of doing business.
What do you foresee as being the biggest challenge for the future Cottonwood? And how are you addressing or preparing for it? ?
As noted in my previous answer, one of the biggest challenges for the future will be to have adequate funding to recruit and retain quality staff. Nationwide, there is a shortage of workforce availability and the competition to hire will continue to increase. It’s a balance to stay financially strong and yet, be able to pay our direct support staff a competitive wage. The gap between the funding we receive and the cost to provide services is ever increasing. Cottonwood is fortunate to have a Foundation and we have successful fundraising events. The Foundation will need to continue to grow in the future to help offset this gap in funding.
